A new organization representing more than 700 craft breweries from every province and territory in Canada was announced today at the 17th annual Canadian Brewing Awards and Conference in Toronto. With a mandate to “promote and protect the interests of small and independent breweries across Canada,” the Canadian Craft Brewers Association will be the national voice of the Canadian craft beer industry.
“Our association represents a unique sub-sector of the Canadian alcohol beverage industry,” said Steve Beauchesne, CCBA Co-Chair and CEO of Beau’s Craft Brewery in in a press release on Friday. “We’re made up of mostly young companies who are revolutionizing a very established industry. The story we have to tell is very different from the global corporate enterprises that now own and control the big beer companies in Canada.”
CCBA will initially focus on educating federal government on the positive economic impact created by the craft beer sector, working with the provincial craft beer associations to support the new craft breweries and promoting Canadian craft beer offerings to consumers nationally and internationally.
“We are organized to allow each provincial association to carry on business as usual,” said Frederick Tremblay, Co-chair and CEO of Microbrasserie Charlevoix in Baie-Saint-Paul, Québec. “The provinces will work with the new national association on issues that can only be dealt with at the national level.”
The Board of Directors of the new Association will be comprised of one individual to represent each of the 10 provincial craft beer association members, and one individual to represent craft brewery members in each of five geographic regions in Canada.
CCBA board members
Ken Beattie, BC Craft Brewers Guild
Mike McNeil, Alberta Small Brewers Association
Kari Stenson, Saskatchewan Craft Brewers Association
John Heim, Manitoba Brewers Association
Scott Simmons, Ontario Craft Brewers
Marie-Eve Myrand, L’Association des microbrasseries du Québec
Kirk Cox, Craft Brewers Association of Nova Scotia
Andre Leger, New Brunswick Craft Alcohol Producers Association
Mitch Cobb, PEI Craft Brewers Alliance
Justin Fong, Newfoundland and Labrador Craft Beer Association
Regional brewery board members
Western Canada breweries: Chloe Smith, Townsite Brewing Co., Powell River, BC
Canadian Territories breweries: Bob Baxter, Yukon Brewing Co., Whitehorse, YK
Ontario breweries: Steve Beauchesne, Beau’s Brewing Co., Vankleek Hill, ON
Quebec breweries: Frederick Tremblay, Microbrasserie Charlevoix, Baie-Saint, Paul, QC
Atlantic Canada breweries: Emily Tipton, Boxing Rock Brewing Co., Shelburne, NS
Rick Dalmazzi, partner in Sawdust City Brewery and member of the board of the Ontario Craft Brewers Association, will serve as Acting Executive Director of the CCBA-ACMB
For more information, visit the CCBA’s website at www.ccba-ambc.org
